Sunday, March 11, 2018

James Lovell NASA Astronaut Explorer Club Medal Award...



...Rolex Super-Coolness...


James Lovell

NASA Astronaut

Explorer Club Medal Award

My pal, David Concannon, who among other things is a fellow Rolex fanatic of the highest order, sent in some great photos from the Explorers Club in New York that show legendary NASA Astronaut James Lovell at a special luncheon in his honor, that took place before the awards ceremony that will present Captian James Lovell with the Explorers Club medal. In the photo below we see James Lovell, David Concannon and Mike Massimino who was a U.S. Space Shuttle Astronaut.


David Concannon is a lawyer who specializes in exploration, and he is also an avid explorer himself, having spearheaded many submarine expeditions to visit and explore the Titanic in its watery grave. David is also famous for having helped Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon with his special project to recover all the Apollo F-1 engines.




Another Rolex Mystery Solved

David Concannon snapped the photo below during the Explorers Club luncheon of NASA Astronaut, James Lovel showing off his vintage Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master.


David Concannon took this close-up wrist shot of James Lovell's Pepsi GMT, and notice on the left side of the dial, there is a U.S. Naval Academy Crest. Another Rolex mystery has been solved, and the mystery question was: "Where did James Lovell get this interesting Rolex with the unusual Naval Academy Crest."

David Concannon just solved that mystery and the answer is that James Lovell confirmed that his Rolex was a gift from the Naval Academy to honor him after his first Gemini Flight.



Apollo 8 crew members Bill Anders and Frank Borman are pictured below on the left wearing their MA-1 flight jackets, which became the standard issue for the U.S. Air Force and Navy Pilots, and ground crew. These flight jackets were designed to be worn in temperatures of 15 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and featured a knitted wool collar with matching cuffs. 

James Lovell who was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Navy is pictured below with fellow Apollo 8 crew members, Bill Anders and Frank Borman. Notice James Lovell is wearing the exact same Rolex GMT Master in the photo below, as in the photos above.




In the photo below we see James Lovell on the far left wearing his Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master standing with Apollo 8 crew mission members, Bill Anders and Frank Borman in front of their Apollo 8 Rocket. Frank Boarman is pictured wearing a classic Omega Speedmaster Chronograph, which is very cool.



In the photo below we get a closer look at James Lovell's GMT-Master.